Advanced Computing in the Age of AI | Friday, March 29, 2024

Buckle Up, Mercedes and Nokia Ally for Autonomous Vehicles 

<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/images-9.jpeg" alt="" width="95" height="71" border="0" />Unless you’re a fan of sitting in traffic or colliding with other vehicles, then the city streets of the future will be a breath of fresh air. With computers guiding self-driving vehicles, congestion, fender benders, and even the threatening risk of high-speed collisions could be a foggy memory of the past.

Unless you’re a fan of sitting in traffic or colliding with other vehicles, then the city streets of the future will be a breath of fresh air. With computers guiding self-driving vehicles, congestion, fender benders, and even the threatening risk of high-speed collisions could be a foggy memory of the past.

Now, two more companies have thrown their hats in the autonomous vehicle ring. Nokia, the Finnish communications and information technology company, has partnered with the German automobile giant, Mercedes-Benz, to help kickstart the future of driving. Meanwhile, other companies, such as Google, are chugging along to advance their existing efforts. Nonetheless, Nokia and Mercedes hope to make formidable competitors. 

This past Monday, Nokia revealed that the team behind its Here Auto suite, an Internet-linked entertainment and navigation system, is working in collaboration with Mercedes on “smart maps,” a 3D digital mapping solution that will be used for connected cars for the time being, but will eventually help to plan courses for self-driving vehicles.

While Google puts its vehicles through the ringer in California, Nokia and Mercedes have taken a unique approach to their testing. They have built a 3D map of the route taken by the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first ever automobile. This route will cover the distance from Mannheim to Pforzheim in southern Germany.

At the Frankfurt Motor Show last Monday, Nokia said, “Based on the particular requirements of autonomous vehicles, this map includes precise road data that go beyond traditional maps, including the number and direction of lanes, traffic signs along the route and even exact coordinates of traffic lights.”

Last Sunday, Mercedes’ parent company, Daimler, said that it planned on having its self-driving vehicles roll onto streets by 2020, which is in line with when Nissan stated that it would release its autonomous vehicles.

It appears as if now is the time for car manufacturers to put the pedal to the metal in their efforts to build self-driving vehicles. In only six short years we should be seeing these once farfetched ideas become a reality on our streets. Sit back, buckle up, and get ready for the ride.

EnterpriseAI